1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to supporting devices for freezer bags and like flexible containers or receptacles.
2. Background Art
In the past, stands have been developed to temporarily position and secure a bag in an open position for the purpose of filling the bag. Unfortunately, such devices are rigid, awkward to use and not easily storable between times of use.
Several devices exist to position and secure a bag for filling purposes. For example, British Patent Specification No. 4078 discloses a sack holder having a platform, vertical standard and spring hoop wherein the open end of a sack may be pulled over the hoop with the body of the sack resting on the platform. The disadvantages of such a device are that it is a rigid structure that is not adaptable or self-adjustable to bags of different sizes and that it requires great effort to secure the open end of the bag or sack to the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,015,621 discloses a bag holder for supporting two bags with circumferentially expanding bands having prongs, the bands trapping the bags with the prongs. Unfortunately, the bands and prongs must provide the entire support for the bags and are, therefore, an obstacle upon removal of the bags. Loaded bags further require support by some external means during the complicated task of removing the bags from the holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 645,199 discloses a bag holder having an unadjustable standard (similar to the above-described British reference) and a ring having a series of pins to engage the bag (similar to the abovementioned U.S. patent). Such a mechanism has the shortcomings of both of the above-described devices.
Several bag holders have been developed which have a supporting stand and ring-shaped bag-holding portions to which a bag is clipped. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,397,898, 1,542,164, 2,235,986, 3,610,560, 3,866,872, 4,283,032 and German Patent No. 2,325,605. Although some of these devices are vertically adjustable, and almost all of these devices allow for the weight of the load to be partially supported by the counter surface, none of these devices or those described earlier provides a stand which easily engages and opens bags of varying size allowing filling of the bags wherein the engaging portion moves upon loading of the bag to maintain the bag in column, the bag then being supported primarily by the base or counter surface, the bag-engaging portion being readily removable, and wherein the stand is easily disassembled for cleaning and storage.